SAMBALPUR  WEDNESDAY  JANUARY 22, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  CITY EDITION AT LEAST 66 DEAD, 51 INJURED IN FIRE AT A SKI RESORT IN TURKEY A fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday during a school holiday, killing 66 people and injuring 51 HOTEL’S LOCATION HAMPERING RESCUE EFFORTS SIX-MEMBER PANEL TO LEAD INVESTIGATION The fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, 300 kilometres east of Istanbul, occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed. A part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering rescue efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said all steps will be taken to nab those responsible for the blaze ■ ■ The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant section, later spreading to other portions Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and was found up to the mark 238 REGISTERED GUESTS WERE PRESENT IN THE HOTEL AT THE TIME OF THE BLAZE CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI EXPERTS RULE OUT IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON INDIA DUE TO TRUMP’S TRADE POLICIES SHORT-TERM PAIN, LONG-TERM GAIN... D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi HOURS after taking charge as US president, Donald Trump took a slew of major executive actions to effect major policy shifts, many of them with global ramifications whose ripple effects would be felt across the world including India. The Indian equity markets felt the tremors on Tuesday with benchmark indices falling by 1.6%, while the rupee tanked 14 paise to close at 86.59 against dollar. However, most analysts and commentators expect limited economic impact on India as most decisions won’t impact India directly, though the uncertainties could shake a few indicators in the short term. In his America First Trade Policy Trump announced withdrawal , from global tax deals as well as the Paris Climate Accord. He declared a national energy emergency, reinstating the country’s oil and gas industry at the centre stage. He also ended the federal mandate for electric vehciels, which has set a target of electrifying all new lightduty vehicles by 2027. While he did not sign any orders announcing import tariff hike, he proposed 25% duty on goods coming from Canada and Mexico. Earlier, Trump had proposed a 60% tax on Chinese imports and 20% tariff on imports from other countries. He also hinted he would target countries with trade surplus with the US. India figures in this list but Soumya Kanti Ghosh, SBI’s group chief economic adviser, says the impact will be limited as India has broadened its export market. Ajay Sahai, director-general and CEO, Federation of India Exports Organisation, believes India stands to gain. “These measures aim to protect US industries but they also create opportunities for Indian exporters to fill supply chain gaps in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and engineering goods,” he said. Trump’s US-centric energy policies also signal potential sanctions on Russia and Iran, which could DON’s 1st DAY KEY EXECUTIVE ORDERS DONALD TRUMP SIGNED ON HIS INAUGURATION DAY Withdraws US from the Paris Agreement and WHO PARDONS FOR JAN 6 US CAPITOL ATTACK Trump pardoned around 1,500 people convicted or charged in the Jan 6 attack END TO FEDERAL CASES Trump ordered an end to federal cases against ‘political opponents’ of the Biden administration, effectively helping his own supporters Ends remote work policies for all federal workers EASING REGULATORY BURDENS Trump ordered easing of regulatory burdens on oil and natural gas production TARIFFS ON CANADA AND MEXICO Trump plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb 1 disrupt energy imports for India. But on the positive side, there is a possibility of more US energy coming to India, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. India needs to diversifying its energy supply sources, intensify domestic oil and gas exploration efforts, and expand investments in renewable energy to reduce external shocks,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder, Global Trade Research Initiative. CHINA SAYS READY TO WORK WITH INDIA ON BORDER TIES China on Tuesday urged India to place the border issue in an appropriate position within bilateral relations, saying both sides should jointly maintain peace and tranquility | P9 Court orders seizure of MF Husain’s 2 paintings S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi A Delhi court ordered the seizure of two paintings by renowned artist M F Husain displayed at the Delhi Art Gallery following a complaint that they were offensive. Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga, presiding over the Patiala House Court, on Monday approved advocate Amita Sachdeva’s request for their seizure under Section 94 of the BNSS Act. The court instructed the Investigating Officer (IO) to secure the artworks and submit a report by January 22. “In light of the facts and circumstances mentioned in the said application, the said application is allowed and the IO is directed to seize the said painting and file a report on 22.01.2025.” Sachdeva’s complaint, lodged on December 9, 2024, at the Parliament Street Police Station, alleged that the paintings depicting Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh, were offensive. COMBATING CONSUMER INFLATION Trump calls for an “all of government” response to bring down costs for Americans NATIONAL EMERGENCY AT US-MEXICO BORDER Trump declared a national emergency, planning to send US troops to support immigration agents ENDING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP It denies citizenship to children born in the US whose parents lack legal immigration status even if they are not illegals MINIMUM TAX PACT AXE Withdraws US from global minimum tax agreement The only one smarter than Vance is his wife (Usha). I would have chosen her (for V-P) but somehow the line of succession didn’t work that way, right? Donald Trump in his first address after inauguration ...India sees window of opportunity amidst tests J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be the first foreign minister to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral discussion, as India aims to strengthen its ties with the US following the inauguration of President Donald Trump as its 47th President. Rubio will be meet Jaishakar in the state department soon after his meeting with foreign ministers of India, Japan and Ausralia under the Quad format in the same venue. Jaishankar, who represented India at the inauguration, was seated in the front row alongside Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. He also had brief interactions with members of Trump’s administration, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel. According to sources, the importance of the Quad format is quite pronounced, going by the way the first day’s appointments of Rubio are planned. Soon after interacting with state department staffers, the Quad ministers will meet for an hour. Trump is expected to visit India to attend the first Quad summit later this year. India also intends to host the first meeting of the Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, a new initiative of the grouping, in Mumbai in the coming months. Sources said that India-US ties will continue to grow under Trump despite negotiating some of the challenges, including the tariff plans and the efforts to draw outsourced manufacturing units back to the US. “Tariff on imported goods, we need to wait and see. It could also be the case that the new American administration takes some time before arriving at any definite plans,” said a source. New Delhi has maintained that Trump’s policies that change the international order will have less impact on countries like India as New Delhi is not heavily invested in the existing order. “Those most anxious are the nations and organisations who are deeply invested in the current order....For the countries who are less invested, it could very well be a time of opportunity In. dia falls in the latter category,” Jaishankar said during the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture on January 18. Top gun among 14 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh ops E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur IN a big jolt to the outlawed CPI (Maoist), its Central Committee member Jayram Pratap Reddy alias Chalapathi and 13 senior cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, 160 km east of Raipur. The gun battle late on Sunday continued intermittently for 48 hours in the Kularighat forest of Mainpur region in Gariaband district, said a senior police officer supervising the operation. Chalapathi, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, was an active member of the Central Committee, which holds significant authority in the banned CPI (Maoist), just below the Politburo. He had a bounty of `1 crore on his head. “The encounter is still on. So far, 14 bodies have been recovered. The casualty count is expected to rise as the search operation has been intensified. This is the first operation where senior leaders of the banned outfit have been killed in Chhattisgarh,” Nikhil Rakhecha, Gariaband SP told this paper. There were intelligence inputs Who is specifying the presence of the senChalapathi ior Maoist assembling in the region. A joint operation launched by a speChalapathi, a master military cial team faced heavy gunfire from strategist in his the Naxals, the officer said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah 60s, had a `1 said on X: “Another mighty blow to crore bounty on his head. Born Naxalism. With a resolve for a Naxin Chittoor, he al-free India and joint efforts of security forces, Naxalism is breathing joined the its last today .” Maoist Two security personnel, who movement 27 years ago, and were injured in the gunfight, are lend strategic out of danger. The forces recovered self-loading guns, INSAS rifles and guidance and Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) intellectual from the scene, the SP said. support Several slain Maoists were said to be members of Mainpur-Nuapada division of the outlawed organisation. So far, 46 Maoists have been killed in Chhattisgarh in January . This is the second major encounter against the Maoists this year in Gariaband district adjoining the Odisha border. The operation is part of a renewed strategy to free Chhattisgarh from the grip of Maoists. Odisha police played a key role in the operations A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar ODISHA police’s precise intelligence inputs, quick dispatch as well as strategic positioning of three teams of the Special Operations Group (SOG) along with a high-resolution drone deployment provided crucial assistance to Chhattisgarh Police in the major anti-Naxal operation in which at least 14 red ultras were killed in last 24 hours. Sources said Odisha Police had received actionable intelligence on January 18 regarding the movement of a group of over 25 Maoists in neighbouring Chhattisgarh’s Kularighat reserve forest area in Gariaband district, which is only five km away from Nuapada border. Nuapada and Gariaband SPs Gundala Reddy Raghavendra and Nikhil Ashok Kumar Rakhecha respectively, both from of 2019 batch, held detailed discussions before launching the significant anti-Naxal operation on Sunday night (January 19). Sources said three teams of SOG with operational names - SOG 21, 40 and 44 were already camping in Nuapada district and continuously carrying out area domination exercises. CONTINUED ON P7